Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Iron Tier Adventurer Hassan
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“Appraisal of information is akin to an oracle. It’s a single ray of light piercing the darkness of ignorance. There’s only one god who bestows such grace upon you.”
“So, who is it?”
“Who else? The God of Light and the Sun. You wilderness Samaritan must lack culture. Anyway, the Sun God’s grace is famously rare.”
Baltma, perched atop a pile of junk, scanned me from head to toe.
“I can’t fathom why such power was granted to a Samaritan like you, devoid of faith or knowledge. Even devout believers receive it once in a hundred years, if even you…”
The whims of the gods are beyond the grasp of dull-witted mortals—Baltma muttered a few words under his breath, then smacked his lips as if truly baffled.
The God of Light and the Sun.
The word “Sun God” from his lips brought to mind the blazing orb scorching the sky above.
Sun God.
In any civilization, verse, or legend, the sun’s influence was immense.
Thus, worshiping the sun in myths and tales was a perfectly mainstream faith.
Whatever it was, receiving such a rare grace couldn’t be bad, right?
After two years of hellish slavery, it seemed a flowery path was finally opening for me!
Talent incarnate!
Golden spoon!
Wa!
Hell yeah. I’d been sucking on the sweet nectar of 21st-century civilization when I got dumped into this shitty world and even slaved away to boot.
What goes out must come in. What sinks must rise. It’s only natural. I deserved recompense for my suffering.
As I spun a sparkling flower field in my mind with such hopeful thoughts—
“But don’t get too thrilled about receiving grace. It means you’ve caught the eye of a transcendental power beyond our mortal comprehension. Most such lives end in tragedy.”
Baltma’s words doused everything like cold water.
“Famous kings, heroes, even beast cubs meet tragic ends. Let alone a faithless Samaritan. I’m really looking forward to how you’ll die. That’s a compliment.”
Fuck, even compliments in this world were fucked up.
*
The bald, one-eyed Baltma seemed to hold a fairly high position within the Mars Guild of the city Sodomora.
At his command, what I’d thought was a misunderstanding cleared up instantly.
“We’d normally need combat verification, but you’re a wilderness Samaritan, right? You’ve probably killed a person or two without batting an eye. Ugly mug, sturdy build. Pass.”
Instead, I got to skip ahead in the guild registration process, faster than most. Best of all, I had a chance to get an apology from Daphne, who’d slapped my cheek raw.
“…I-I’m Daphne, in charge of Mr. Hassan from today. About what happened earlier, I’m truly sor, sor, sor…”
“Sorry?”
“You crazy bastard, you started it!”
Of course, having the chance didn’t mean I’d get a proper apology anytime soon. Maybe never. Best to treat it like stepping in shit and move on.
Anyway, with a hefty 20 silvers—and a few slaps and a misunderstanding—I became an Iron Tier adventurer.
Iron Tier.
Iron-rank adventurer.
The rock-bottom dregs of the five-tier adventurer system.
In game terms, it was like rolling in the deep-sea mud at the ocean floor, chowing on dirt and dust.
“Heh heh.”
Still, I felt great.
Having a tier meant I’d created a game ID and passed the placement test.
Until now, I’d been no better than the pitiful Hassan of the third world, playing with pebbles and mud clumps going “Pew pew, pew pew. Receiving.”
Just having a ladder rung to climb was insanely satisfying.
“Mr. Hassan, accept quests, complete requests, and you’ll receive the agreed payment minus our commission fee. Once the total commissions exceed a threshold, you can take a promotion exam. After promoting within the same rank, you’ll get access to more requests and…”
Switching to work mode, Daphne gave a solid rundown on adventurer duties, promotions, and payouts. Hard to believe this was the same hysterical woman from before.
“That covers the basics.”
As a former slave to Elfriede, I already knew the basics of adventurer work, so it was easy to follow.
Adventurers were like a fixer agency or a labor market bazaar for all sorts of jobs.
Handle tasks, get paid, build experience, promote, unlock more gigs and cash.
That’s it.
Simple system, if you thought about it.
“By the way, for an extra five silver coins, you can list your name on that job board over there for a year. See the crowd?”
The receptionist pointed to a corner of the guild. Beyond the throng was a massive bulletin board on the wall.
“List my name?”
“It boosts visibility, so you get more direct hires and easier party recruitment for quests. Feel free to check it out.”
“Alright, be right back.”
I stood and headed to the job board. Papers with writing were tacked everywhere.
『Name: Theseus
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Stamina: 2
Rank: Bronze
Notes: Owns a super cool shield. Wears plate armor. Good at offense and defense. Handsome. Pretty female clients welcome. No men.』
Something like that.
Total aggro spam, like spamming the global chat in front of a dungeon: @@@@MAX LVL WARRIOR LFG@@@@.
What about the others? Let’s peek at one more.
『Name: Dong Go Buseo
Strength: Enough to make men show their backs
Agility: Like a soaring hawk
Stamina: Three days straight, no problem
Rank: Silver
Notes: Good at offense and defense, but loves offense. Owns a thick rod. Sly counter. Powerful. Skills no joke. Sweet and naughty.』
…
Ugh, what did I just witness? Felt like peeking into the abyss I shouldn’t have.
I clenched my stinging ass and turned back to the counter.
“Is the job board listing mandatory?”
Five silvers was a fortune to me. It could cover meals and lodging for weeks to a month.
Spending my dwindling funds felt regrettable. If I hadn’t gotten this money back from Elfriede, what would I be doing now? Horrifying.
“Hmm.”
Sensing my hesitation, Daphne hummed thoughtfully.
“To be honest, it’s better to wait until you’re settled in. Newbies don’t need it right away.”
“Settled in?”
“Yes, for the first three months after joining, the guild assigns requests. After that, it’s self-select. Higher visibility helps then, so most register after three months.”
“Ah—then I’ll think about it.”
“Good call. Your registration is complete, Mr. Hassan. I’ll be your main receptionist, so hope we get along. And about earlier… I’ve been on edge lately. Sorry. Sometimes I lose myself, especially when men touch me…”
The ridiculous green-haired Daphne flushed beet red, fidgeting like it was mortifying.
As I’d sensed, she had a explosive, hysterical side, but she was quite the beauty.
Handling the guild’s front desk meant looks were par for the course.
Pretty women get stalked sometimes. Can’t blame her for man-hating distrust.
Anyway, we’d see each other often, so dragging out the awkwardness was a hassle.
“Ah… well, I get it. I lose my mind sometimes too.”
“Slap my cheeks five times!”
“What?”
“I slapped you five times, so it’s fair if you do the same.”
“No, I mean, are you serious?”
“Yes, dead serious. I need the shock to fix my quirks. Come on.”
She’s nuts.
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut and offered her cheek. I felt dazed—was this real life?
Slap her here? Now?
I glanced around. The guild bustled with people handling business.
Slapping a woman here would draw every eye and spark new trouble.
“Hurry! Quick! Fix my quirk! I’ll scream if you don’t!”
But she kept urging with eyes clamped shut. So, fuck it—I decided to slap her five times.
Smack—!
“Kyaa!”
Smack-smack! Smack! Smack!
“Ugh, ack, hek!”
Even holding back, her face swelled red under my big palm, like it’d burst.
Women’s skin was insanely soft compared to my labor-roughened hide.
Whispers, whispers.
“What’s going on?”
“Why’s he slapping her? Did she cheat him?”
“Black hair. Barbarian causing trouble—”
“Where’re the guards?”
I’m the one slapping, she’s taking it—why’s my cheek burning? By the fifth—
Ding—.
『Cured Daphne’s neurosis: persecution delusion.』
『Karma Value +50』
Weird text popped up with a tale. Cured her neurosis? Persecution delusion? I hadn’t noticed when I touched her wrist earlier.
And slapping cured it? Like physical therapy?
“S-Sorry, Mr. Hassan. I was wrong. I get it now. My head’s clear. I was such a bitch!”
Tears welled in her eyes—pain or regret? Daphne sobbed for ages while I sat there, frozen.
Felt like some punishment game.
Anyway, after the apology, something felt off. When was the last time I got one? Felt embarrassingly good.
As her sniffles eased, I seized the chance to change the mood.
“Daphne, any jobs I can start today?”
“Today? Rules usually bar newbies from quests on day one…”
“Any way around it?”
I felt the weight of my coin pouch.
Jingle—.
Light.
Ten silvers. Listing my name costs five, leaving just five silvers.
Stretch it, and it’d last a month or two. But better earn while I could.
I’d endured starvation and homelessness, but I wasn’t a slave anymore. Time to live free.
Plus, I kept dreaming of hitting Silver Tier fast for full citizenship.
As Finley… the missus said, opening a clinic after Silver sounded perfect.
“Hmm…”
Daphne pondered.
“Alright, since I owe you. I’ll pull strings. But don’t tell anyone I hooked you up.”
She hauled out a massive ledger, flipping pages—rustle rustle—then stopped, pointing at text.
“Here—one spot opened this afternoon. Someone dropped. I’ll slot you in. Not tough. Okay?”
The cheek-slapper was looking prettier by the minute. Debts to receptionists? Pure profit.
Probably not, but hey, self-delusion works.
“Total pay 120 coppers, so 30 per head.”
“Not just me? Three others? What’s the job?”
“First day, so I picked easy. Past Sodomora’s outskirts are abandoned temples. Need periodic cleaning. Iron Tier stuff.”
Newbie-perfect. Cleaning was kid-simple if you had limbs.
I was a cleaning master from Elfriede’s shack.
“Cleaning? My specialty.”
“Perfect. Should take half a day.”
Half a day for 30 coppers.
As a slave, how much toil for 30 coppers?
Daily, I’d save 3-4 coppers skipping gruel—30 was a week’s wages in half a day.
Thrilling.
This is why jobs matter.
“Here, take this wooden tag to Sodomora’s west gate. Find others with matching tags.”
Daphne handed me a keychain-like wooden stick. Palm-sized, sanded flat, painted black, engraved: 『Mars Guild』.
I’d seen adventurers like Elfriede use these to spot party members.
Holding it, my chest tickled with excitement.
“Noon soon, so I’ll head out.”
“Mr. Hassan, and um…”
Daphne called as I turned. Hesitant—tough topic.
“There’s… something…”
“Apology’s done.”
“No, not that. Um, one of the cleaning crew is a bit weird. Job’s simple, probably fine, but just in case.”
Shit, now I’m anxious.